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THE GERMAN COLONY AND LUTHERAN CHURCH IN MAINE. 



AN ADDRESS 



DEIJTKRKD BKFORE THK 



^1 5 tut t c n I ^0 ci etg 



OF THE LUTHERAjV CHURCH, 



AT ITS MRETIXO IX 



Washington, D. C, May 14th, 1869. 



PUBLISHED BY REQUEST OF TCTE SfWIETV. 



aUcrq-TS^U'IiG.' ' 

J. E. \VIBI,E, PRTXTER, NORTH-EAST COR. OK WASHI.\(;TO,\ A H. fi. STS. 
1869. 



THE GEKMAN COlOiNY AND LUTHERAN CHURCH IN MAINE. 



AN ADDRESS 



DELIVERED BEFORE THE 



glf tttitti gttitti 



OF THE LUTHERAN CHURCH, 



AT ITS MEETING IN 



Washington, D. C, May 14th, 1869. 



PUBLISHED BV REQUEST OF THE SOCIETY. 



■T. E, WIBLE, PRINTER, NORTH-EAST COR. OF WASHIN<iTON .V R. R. STS. 
18G9. 






Ow o ft mJtyoKI^ 



V 

v4 



ADDRESS. 



On Monday, the 7tli of October, 1860, taking advantage 
of my usual vacation, I left my residence in Albany, to 
make a visit to one of the ancient Churches of our faith, 
in the far East. This church had been in connection with 
the Evangelical Lutheran Ministerium of New York, for 
nearly half a century. But its aged pastor, by reason of 
the distance, and his growing infirmities, had only occa- 
sionally been present at our annual conventions. He had 
now for some time been superannuated, and for two years 
his voice had been unheard in the sanctuary ; although, in 
his own humble dwelling, he still continued, from time to 
time, to minister to the spiritual wants of his beloved people. 

But notwithstanding these ministrations, his flock were 
literally as sheep without a shepherd, and the consequen- 
ces may be easily imagined. Some of the younger mem- 
bers, as is usual in towns situated on the coast, went down 
to the sea in ships, to behold God's wonders in the deep, 
and were lost to the Church. Many were scattered abroad 
in other directions, and being brought under stronger de- 
nominational influences, were gathered into other folds, 
so that only a feeble I'emnant remained. 

But this remnant, "faithful among the faithless," remem- 
bering how in time past, they had taken sweet counsel to- 
gether, and gone to the house of God in company, longed 
for the services of a minister, who could go in and out 
among them, to lead them into the green pastures, and by 
the still waters of God's ordinances, and to feed them with 
the bread of eternal life. These earnest longings were 
made known to the Ministerium, from time to time ; and 
at length, their persistent cry, that we should come over 
and help them, induced the Synod to appoint me as its 
representative to visit them, and by personal observation 
to ascertain their condition, and, if possible, to provide for 
their necessities. 

In ihe fulfillment of this commission, I had left my 
pleasant home, and God having prospered me on ray way; 
at the end of a three days journey, I found myself on the 
banks of the Muscongus, and in the humble dwelling of the 
jH'^ed Pastor. 



4 The German Colony^ 

Of that Pastor, and the people to whom he ministered, 
I would speak to you to-night ; and I trust that what I 
have to communicate of what I saw on that occasion ; and 
what I have since learned of the Lutheran Church in 
Maine, may serve to increase your veneration for those 
early pioneers of civilization and Christianity, though I 
despair to convey even a faint idea of the privations and 
sufferings of this excellent people, in their protracted strug- 
gle to found a colony, and establish the Church of their 
fathers, in those eastern wilds. But before I proceed with 
the history of the settlement of these colonists, it may be 
necessary to say a few words in relation to the country 
they had selected as their future home. 

Almost midway between the mouth of the lovely Ken- 
nebeck, and of that main artery of the lumber trade, the 
Penobscot, on what is now the line of Lincoln and Han- 
cock counties, in the State of Maine, the ocean forms a 
deep and spacious Bay, appropriately named Broad. Into 
this Bay flows the little river Muscongus, on whose left 
bank stands the present town of Waldoborough. All the 
lands in this region, to the extent of thirty miles square, 
sterile in soil, though heavily wooded, were by original 
patent, dated March 2nd, 1630, granted by the Council of 
Plymouth to John Beauchamp of London, and Thomas 
Leverett of Boston, England. On the death of Beauchamp, 
Leverett succeeded to the estate. In 1719, John Leverett, 
who was then President of Harvard College, representing 
himself as sole heir of his grandfather, according to the 
English laws of primogeniture, came into possession of 
the whole patent. 

But anemergency arising, Leverett a.ssociated with him- 
self ten of his friends, and afterwards twenty others enter- 
ed into the partnership, which gave the company the ap- 
pellation of the Thirty Proprietors. 

After the treaty of Utrecht, a difficulty arose which 
threatened the extinguishment of the claims of the Thirty 
Proprietors, in consequence of which they were induced 
to engage the services of Brig. Gren. Samuel Waldo, to effect 
an adjustment of the case. Proceeding to England, Wal- 
do succeeded, by untiring application at court, in accom- 
plishing the object of his mission ; and, on his return, the 
Thirty Proprietors joined in surrendering to him, for his 
services, one-half of the patent.* 

It was on these lands, originally called the Muscongus, 
and afterwards from the circumstances I have mentioned, 



Maine His. Soc. Collect, vol. VI, p. 321—322. 



and Lutheran Church in Maine. 5 

tlie Waldo patent, and but a short distance from where 
Broad Bay spreads its ample bosom to the waters of the 
Atlantic, that a few German emigrants located in 1739. 
They were supposed to have come over in the summer, or 
autumn of that year, on board of a vessel which brought 
letters of marque and reprisal from the king of England, 
against the subjects of Spain. f 

To the few families which composed the original settle- 
ment large accessions were made in 1740, when forty other 
families from Brunswick and Saxony, tempted by the im- 
posing offers which the indefatigable Waldo, when in Eu- 
rope had made and caused to be circulated in their lan- 
guage, arrived at Broad Bay. These settlers were unable 
to speak a word of the English language, and consequent- 
ly could hold little intercourse, and gain but little aid 
from their English neighbors. They had been accustomed 
to seeing farms enclosed with fences ; and were inexperi- 
enced in the clearing up of new lands. Their progress in 
agriculture was slow; their crops were injured by wild 
beasts, and the cattle that strayed from the neighboring 
settlements; and they suffered incredible hardships. They 
had been induced to leave Germany by the promise of one 
hundred acres of land ; a supply of provisions for a given 
number of years; and the maintenance of a Gospel minis- 
ter. They complained much of disappointment in these 
promises ; for even when kept to the ear, they were brok- 
en to the hope. Their lots were laid out but twenty-five 
rods wide, and ran back into the wilderness two miles in 
length. This was an inconvenient shape for a farm, but 
they were easily reconciled to it at the time, as it brought 
their dwellings in close proximity. But the soil was hard, 
and covered with an unbroken forest, haunted by un- 
known beasts of prey, and strange and savage men. 

There was then no fort, block house, or place of retreat 
in case of a hostile attack, no grist mill nearer than St. 
George's, or Damariscotta, to grind their scanty crops of 
"rochen," the only grain they raised, and which was gen- 
erally prepared for cooking by merely bruising at home. 
Sighing for their fatherland, but unable to return, they 
despairingly lingered out the tedious years. But sad as 
was their present condition, greater evils were at hand. 
The war, in which England was then engaged with Spain, 
began now to assume an alarming aspect ; and the grow- 
ing apprehensions, that France was about to take sides 
with Spain in the contest, and the certainty that her sub- 

t Amer. Quar. Reg. vol. XIII, p. 162. 



6 The German Colony^ 

jects Avould persuade the Indians to join them, awakened 
fears, such as they never before experienced. 

It is true, the Legislature of Massachusetts, of which 
Maine then formed a part, endeavored to prepare for the 
strife, by appropriating seventy-five pounds for the defence 
of Broad Bay. But this contributed but httle to disperse 
the universal gloom, and soon their worst fears were real- 
ized. France declared war on the 15th of March, 1744, 
and immediately commenced hostilities.* 

War, always to be deprecated, becomes still more san- 
guinary when carried on by ignorant mercenaries, at all 
times eager for plunder, and delighting in blood. And it 
was against such foes the infant colony had to contend. 
Nor was it long before they felt the full measure of their 
vengeance. The Eastern and Canadian Indians taking 
sides with the French, as they usually did, fell upon the 
defenceless outpost, determined to extirpate the young 
settlement at a single blow. And they were but too suc- 
cessful in their assault. In the month of May, 1746, they 
made their stealthy approach ; and soon a heap of ashes 
was all that remained of the habitations of the peaceful 
settlers, many of whom were cruelly murdered, Avliile the 
remainder were carried away captive either to Canada, or 
into the forest fastnesses of their ruthless foes. 

This savage act put an end, for the time, to the settle- 
ment of the Germans at Broad Bay, and the whole coun- 
try in the neighborhood remained a barren waste, until af- 
ter the treaty of peace at Aix la Chapelle, Oct. 7th, 1748. 
"About this time, the tragic story of the original settlers' 
fate, or some other incident, turned tlie thoughts of other 
Germans in the fatherland, towards the same region, as an 
abiding place. Sympathies have strong attractions, and 
the soil that had drunk in the blood of their martyred 
brethren, was to them consecrated ground. "f So says the 
historian. But I am rather inclined to think that the flat- 
tering representations of Gen. Waldo, who was persistent 
in his attempts to settle his patent, had far more influence 
over the minds of the phlegmatic Germans than the blood 
of their martyred brethren. And I am confirmed in this 
opinion by the fact, that early in 1750 Mr. Crelleus, who 
is described as a "German gentleman," made a voyage 
.across the Atlantic, it is said, "on an errand of enquiry ;" 



Eaton's Annals of Warren, p. 61 — 6 
Amer. Quart. Register, vol. XIII. p. 



and Lutlieran Ghnrch in Maine. 7 

but in reality to make terms for the proper settlement of 
his fellow countrymen. 

On his arrival, he presented a memorial to the General 
Court of Massachusetts, in which he proposed to remove 
a considerable number of Protestant families from his own 
country to this, provided sufficient inducements were offer- 
ed, and a fovorable prospect opened for their permanent 
establishment and prosperity. This encouragement was 
cheerfully afforded them. 

In the following year (1751,) between twenty and thirty 
families came over with Mr. Etter their interpreter, among 
whom the earliest birth was that of Conrad lleyer, who 
at the time of my visit was still living, at the age of more 
than a hundred years, and of whom I shall have occasion 
to speak again before I conclude. 

But the time of the arrival of this little colony waa 
rather unfortunate, as they wei*e landed on the sterile coast 
of Maine, in the latter part of the month of November, 
just as the severe winter of that climate was setting in. 
New England hospitality, however, provided them with 
both a welcome and a shelter. The General Court of 
Massachusetts with great unanimity passed an act, contri- 
buting to their necessities, and private charity was not re- 
miss in its ministrations. Beds and bedding and other 
articles were liberally furnished to secure them from the 
inclemency of the weather, until the opening spring per* 
mittcd them to reach their future home, and join the rem- 
nant of their brethren, who during the war, had fled with 
their families to the Fort at Louisburg for protection, but 
had now returned to their old possessions at Broad Bay, 
and on the banks of the Muscongus. 

Thus, under more favorable auspices, was the German 
settlement at Waldoborough revived ; and the future once 
more looked bright and promising. 

Taking advantage of this hopeful beginning, General 
Waldo determined to persevere until he had secured the 
permanent establishment upon his patent of a large and 
flourishing community. To this end he sent his son to 
Germany, who published in the newspapers, and scattered, 
far and wide, a circular, offering the most flattering in- 
ducements to the simple-minded peasantry to emigrate to 
this modern El Dorado. A copy of this circular has late- 
ly come to light, and has been translated and published by 
the Maine Historical Society.* It is truly a remarkable 

* Maine Hist. Soc. Collect. Vol. VI, pp., 329—30. 



8 The Oerman Colony, 

document ; and as rich in promises, as if it had emanated 
from the prolific brain of some wily emigrant runner of the 
present day. After dwelling in magniloquent terms upon 
the desirableness of the location, the salubrity of the cli- 
mate and the fertility of the soil, it provides to those who 
will of their own accord settle in Broad Bay, that they 
shall dwell together in certain divisions, consisting of one 
hundred and twenty families : and promises^ that to every 
such district there shall be given to the church two hun- 
dred acres ; to the first preacher settling among them, two 
hundred; to the school two hundred; and to each of the 
one hundred and twenty families one hundred acres, equal 
to more than one hundred and twenty German measure-, 
ment. And this land, provided they dwell upon it seven 
years either in person, or by substitute, shall be guaran- 
teed to them, their heirs and assigns forever ; without their 
having to make the slightest recompense, or pay any in- 
terest for it. It provides that unmarried persons of twenty- 
one years and upwards, who embrace these offers, and ven- 
ture to build upon their land, shall also receive one hun- 
dred acres, and be regarded as a family. Each district 
.shall enjoy the protection of the laws ; and so soon as it is 
organized, shall be entitled to send a deputy to the Gen- 
eraC Court. The colonists shall be obliged neither to bear 
;arms .nor carry on war, but in case war should arise, they 
would be protected by the government, and the free exer- 
cise .<af iill Protestant religions will be guaranteed. 

It ipro.mises, moreover, that there shall be given to the 
colonists on their arrival necessary support, for from four 
to six moriths, according as they arrive early or late in the 
season ; and, furthermore, that if one or two Protestant 
preachers, having good testimonials, and unmarried, whose 
care is the salvation of souls, should resolve to trust to 
Providence, ii.nd the good will of Samuel Waldo, to go 
iforth immedii-ai'ely with the rest, they shall receive, besides 
ttheir free passa-i^^e, a little supply of fifteen pounds sterling, 
tmt of :the capi/La 1 of the Company ; and boards for the first 
chOTch, which 113 to be built, shall also b€ given, and deliv- 
ered to them. 

It is further ;St».ted, that the first families going thither,, 
although there ssk<.">uld be several hundreds of them, they 
can all select tbei-r residences either in a sea-port, or on 
navigable rivers, wliere they can cut wood into cords for 
burning, or into tim'.ber for building material, and convey 
jt to the shore, whew ) it can always be taken of them by 



rtHc/ Lutheran Church in Afaine, 9 

ships, for ready money, and carried to Boston, or other 
cities; and fVom thence, whatever they need will be brought 
back in return, at a reasonable rate. 

It considerately adds, in conclusion, that by these means 
the people will not only be able at once to support them- 
selves, until the land is fit for cultivation, but, also, are 
freed from the trouble and expense of making wagons, and 
traveling by land, to which difficulties, it is well known 
Pennsylvania is subjected. 

This imposing document is dated March 28rd, 1753, and 
published by authority of the Royal British Captain Waldo, 
hereditary Lord of Broad Bay, Massachusetts, and was soon 
followed by its desired results; for no less than sixty families 
immediately accepted its munificent oflers; and we are told 
by the Hon. Wm. D. Williamson, the historian of Maine, 
that afterwards, as many as fifteen hundred Oermans. en- 
couraged by its representations, emigrated from time to 
time, and settled on the Patent of this self-styled heredi- 
tary Lord. 

How his promises were fulfilled, is matter of history, 
and will be seen as we follow these sixty families to their 
destination. They arrived there in the month of Septem- 
ber, and were put into a large shed, which had been erect- 
ed near the shore. This shed was sixty feet long, without 
chimneys, and utterly unfit for human habitation ; yet, 
here these destitute exiles, neglected by their patron, 
whose promises, in this instance, were wholly unfulfilled, 
dragged out a winter of almost inconceivable suffering. 
Many froze to death, many perished with hunger, or di- 
seases, induced by their privations. The old settlers were 
too poorly supplied themselves, to afford much assistance 
to the new comers, who were fain to work for a quart of 
buttermilk a day ; and considered it quite a boon, when 
they could gain a quart of meal for twelve or sixteen hours' 
work. They sought for employment, also, at Damariscot- 
ta and St George's, and many of the children were put to 
service in those settlements. Some of them were not des- 
titute of money, for it is a tradition, that of the three 
school masters, who emigrated with them, one was so 
wealthy and, in consequence, so arbitrary, that on any dis- 
pute arising, when arguments failed, he used to threaten 
to knock down his opponent with a bag of Johannes. But 
such was the scarcity of provisions, that even those, who 
had money, were unable to procure them. They were un- 
aoauainted, also, with hunting and fishing, for this, in their 



01 The German Colony, 

own native land, had been the privilege of their Lords, and, 
therefore, they were unable to avail themselves of this 
source of supply. 

Thus, in privation and suffering they passed the dreary 
winter months; and it was not until the following spring, 
that Waldo appointed an agent, Charles Leistner, to allot 
to them the promised lands, and deal out the provisions, 
which should have been distributed on their first arrival. 
Leistner was a man of education, exercised the powers of 
a magistrate, and should have protected them from impo- 
sition, but he did not entirely escape the murmcrs of the 
■settlers, who, in their privations and jealousy, accused him, 
perhaps without any foundation, of selling, for his own 
benefit, the provisions which had been furnished for them ; 
and, in the allotment of their farms, he certainly treated 
them with great injustice. Instead of the hundred acres 
of land promised them on the sea coast, where wood would 
bring four shillings a cord, this agent took them back two 
miles into the heart of the wilderness, and there, perhaps, 
from fear of Indian hostilities, assigned them only a half 
an acre each, in a compact cluster. Here they were con- 
strained to build their huts, carrying up boards, and cov- 
ering their roofs with bark, in the best manner they were 
•able. 

But these evils were light, compared with the baptism of 
blood which awaited them, and which they were soon af- 
terwards called upon to endure. For, scarcely had a year 
elapsed, when, in addition to their other discomforts, a 
band of Indians, instigated by the Romish French, fell up 
on the defenceless colonists, and the tomahawk and scalp- 
ing knife did their bloody work. Many were barbarously 
slain, and others carried away captive. Little record re- 
mains of their individual sufferings, but any one, acquaint- 
ed with the history of the period, knows how cruel were 
even the tender mercies of the Indians, and may easily 
imagine the untold horrors of their fate. 

Such outrages led to the second French war, which was 
•declared in June, 1.756, during which, for seven long years, 
great hardships were endured by the colonists, and much 
distress occasioned by the want of provisions. Those who 
were able to do military duty, for the most part, enlisted 
under Jacob Leistner, who had been appointed Captain of 
■a scouting party, and had charge of the stockade, or block 
•house, which had been erected for the defence of the set- 



nnd Laiheran Clmrch in Maine. 11 

tlcment. These were the favored ones, for they drew reg- 
uhir pay and rations, Which formed the principle support 
for their families. But the great majority were left in ex- 
treme destitution. The Annalist tells us of one family, 
"who subsisted a whole winter on frost fish, with only 
four quarts of meal ; and many a German woman was 
glad to do a hard day's work at planting or hoeing, for 
eight pence, or a quart of buttermilk. 
"And now, (February 10th, 1763,) 

"Grim visag'd war had smoothed his wrinkled front," 

and "piping times of peace" returned, but not to the har- 
rassed colonists at Waldoborough. For scarcely had, the 
din of battle died away, before this quiet and excellent 
people were perplexed with troubles from another, and en- 
tirely unexpected quarter. A flaw in the title to their 
lands had been discovered by some mousing speculator, 
and one of the evils, which so often befalls the unsuspect- 
ing emigrant, was now upon them, with all its distracting 
anxieties. 

From the report of a Committee, to whom the matter 
had been referred, and which was adopted by the Legisla- 
ture of Massachusetts, February 23rd, 1762, it appeared 
that Gen. Waldo (to say the least, and to put the most 
charitable construction upon his conduct,) labored under 
an erroneous impression, as to the extent of his Patent. 
Its true boundaries were the Penobscot on the East, and 
the Muscongus on the West ; and, consequently, all the 
inhabitants on the western bank of the latter river (and 
these constituted the greater part of the colonists,) were 
without any title to their lands. True, they had deeds 
from General Waldo ; but of what avail were these, when 
the General's right of ownership was invalidated. And 
now, what their enemies, the Indians, had spared, was lia- 
ble to be taken from them by their so-called friends. They 
were about to loose, not only their farms, buildings and im- 
provements, and be turned out of doors ; but their Church 
property was in danger, for this, also, was on the litigated 
territory, as well as the humble temple in which they wor- 
shipped God, in the language, and after the time-honored 
custom of their fathers. In this dilemma, the troubled 
settlers, to the number of sixty or seventy families, pur- 
chased their lands anew, in 1763 — 64, and received other, 
and as they supposed satisfactory deeds from Mr. Thomas 



12 The 'German Colony^ 

Drowne, in behalf of the Penuaquid Company, which bad 
established its title to them, underfhe patent granted by 
the Plymouth Council, to two merchants of Bristol, Rob- 
ert Aldsworth and Gyles Blbridge, dated -February 20th, 

1631. 

To the honor of this Company, it ought to be stated, 
that the settlers "were allowed to retain the lots assigned 
them by Waldo for public uses; and deeds were given 
them of one hundred acres for a meetinghouse; one hun- 
dred acres for the ministry; and one lot of twenty-live 
acres, and another of forty-one, for the support of schools." 

But even this purchase did not avail to secure thera 
quiet possession of their property. For, soon afterwards, 
"a possessary right," called "the Brown claim," was raised 
to the same lands, in virtue of ancient settlement and oc- 
cupancy ; and numerous depositions were taken to estab- 
lish this title, to the no small alarm and perplexity of this 
honest and persecuted people. 

Nor were the settlers on the other, or Eastern bank of 
the river, without serious trials and embarrassments. They 
had made improvements on certain portions of land with- 
in the acknowledged Waldo patent, but, either through ig- 
norance or inadvertency, had obtained no deeds from the 
General before his sudden death from apoplexy near B'ort 
Pownal, in 1759, and were, therefore, seriously molested 
by his heirs, who claimed under him, among whom was 
General Knox, who afterwards became so famous during 
our Revolutionary struggle. Thus were these honest, un- 
suspecting Germans harrassed by the harpies of the law, 
contrary to every principle of justice and good faith, and 
left, with no remedy for their grievances, and without the 
least remuneration or indemnity for their losses. 

Justly indignant at such persistent ill-treatment and in- 
jury, disappointed in their expectations, displeased wnth 
the climate, and determined to be rid of interminable law- 
suits, it is no wonder that a large number of families re- 
solved to abandon the settlement and to seek for a more 
desirable residence. Accordingly many of the settlers 
sold their estates for what they would bring, (which, in 
many instances, was but a miserable pittance,) and, in 1773, 
removed from Maine to join their German brethren, who 
three years before, under the advice and guidance of the 
Rev. Mr. Cilly, a Moravian clergyman, had emigrated to 
Carolina, and effected a settlement in that more genial 



and Lutheran Church in Maine. W 

clime. By this emigration, according to two authorities * 
the colony lost not less' than three hundred families, in- 
cluding many of its most skilful husbandmen, and estima- 
ble citizens. It is hardly credible, however, that so many 
could have been g-|)ared, at so early a period, without de-- 
populating the place. But, whether this account be exag-- 
gerated or not, the loss was soon made up. For the Ger- 
mans, like the rest of the Teutons, are a clannish race, and 
upon "a second serious, sober thought," many of them 
concluded that it was far better to retrace their steps and 
"bear the ills they had," than to remain among compara- 
tive strangers, and "suffer others that they knew not of," 
especially as the rumblings of the storm,- which was soon to 
burst upon the Colonies, were now beginning to be heard. 
The great majority of them, therefore, returned, though 
the expense incurred, and the loss of time, had greatly in- 
creased their indigence. But they were received with joy-- 
ful hearts, and many a helping hand was extended towards 
them^ as they quietly settled down again amongst their for- 
mer friends and neighbors. 

During the struggle which led to the separation of the 
Colonies from the mother country, which shortly followed,- 
they bore their part manfully, and endured, in common- 
with the rest of the colonists, their full share of the priva- 
tions and sufferings incident to a state of warfare, though 
they were not, as on former occasions, subject to the incur- 
sions of the Indians. And when peace dawned upon the 
land, they cheerfully returned to their usual avocations,, 
and busily occupied themselves in the tilling of the soil. 
For they were essentially a farming community, and but 
few had as yet turned their attention to any, save the most 
common of the mechanic arts. 

Hitherto, the settlement had consisted principally of 
Germans, and of the children who were born unto them. 
But after the close of the war of the Revolution, the faci- 
lities for ship building, afforded by the Muscongus river^ 
and its vicinity to the waters of the Broad Cove and Bay, 
began to attract the attention of the descendants of the 
Puritans, a proverbially active and enterprising race, and- 
soon a village sprang into existence, at the head of navi- 
gation on the eastern bank, and the population became 
materially changed. But the Germans still adhered to 

* Holmes' Ainer. An. Williamson His. Ma. 



14 The Clerman Colony^ 

their own language, and to the customs of their fathers/ 
and particularly to their ancient faith. They V/ere origin- 
ally from different parts of Germany, and consisted for the 
most part of those who adopted the Augsburg Confession 
for their creed ; but among them were many of the follow- 
ers of Zwinglius, and some few of the Moravians, or Uni- 
ted Brethren. But they were all of one mind, as to the 
necessity of establishing public worship, and paying a due 
regard to the institutions of Christianity; and, therefore,' 
no sooner had they erected their huts, than they endeav- 
ored to provide a fit habitation for the mighty God of Ja- 
cob. This humble temple was built of logs, occupied a 
central position near the Cove, and was furnished with all 
the conveniences their scanty resources could supply. 
Here, though destitute of a regular clergyman, they con- 
stantly assembled from Sabbath to Sabbath, for public 
worship. At these meetings, John Ulmer, one of the prin- 
ciple men among them, took the lead, and acted as their 
minister, and as such was paid by Waldo, until the settle- 
ment Was broken up by the incursion of the Indians in 1746* 
Upon the revival of the colony three years, later, he continued 
to labor in the same vocation, and after the death of Leistner, 
he appears to have acted in the triple capacity of priest, prince 
and military commander. Of the distinction thus conferred 
upon him he was not a little vain ; nor was he slow in as- 
serting his claims, and in exacting on ■ all occasions due 
honor and respect. For, we are told, that visiting the 
neighboring settlement of Pennaquid, towards the close of 
the second French war, and hailing the people in the dusk 
of the evening to set him across the river, in answer to the 
inquiry who he was, he gave his name with such a string 
of titles, that they expected to find a large number of per- 
sons ; and were much disappointed when they found all 
these honors borne by a single individual. * 

This state of things continued until 1762, when the Rev. 
John Martin Schaeffer, who is described^ I know not on 
what authority, as belonging to the German Lutheran 
Church, came from New York to Boston, and was invited 
by some of the inhabitants of Broad Bay to become their 
pastor ; and John Ulmer's occupation, as the ministerial 
office, was gone. But from all accounts the mild govern- 
tnent and harmless vanity of the one was but ill exchanged 



Eaton's Annals of AVarren, p. 115. 



and Lutheran Church in Maine. 15 

for the bold exactions and mean selfishness of the other ; 
for according to the concurrent testimony of the period, 
Schaefter's "character was not so adorned with graces, as to 
entitle his portrait to a place among the apostles of recti- 
tude and reform."* 

Shortly after his arrival, he organized a church in two 
branches, Lutheran and German Ket'ormed. This church 
consisted of sixty or seventy conununicaiit members, each of 
whom contributed to his support, in addition to the use of the 
glebe, three pounds old tenor, a bushel of corn, and two days 
work annually. He also, received, according to the custom of 
those primitive times, (a custom not altogether extinct in 
some of our German congregations, even to the present 
day,) half a dollar for the baptism of each child ; a like 
sum for each person confirmed ; and a dollar for attending 
every funeral. But not satisfied with his income as a 
minister, he practised as a physician also, and gained much 
fame, as well as wealth, by letting blood, applying blisters, 
and physicing the public generally. He was applied to, 
by numbers from the neighboring towns, and was consid- 
ered by the common people everywhere, as having no 
equal. He made his people believe it was necessary to be 
bled every spring, for which he received a regular fee of 
fifty cents for each inhabitant. These emoluments, with 
such advantages as his property, influence and education, 
enabled him to take, in making bargains, soon rendered 
him opulent. And as the love of lucre grows by what it 
feeds on, he was no longer content with the profits derived ■ 
from preaching and the practice of medicine; but engaged 
in navigation, receiving the lumber and wood of the illit- 
erate Germans, on commission, to sell in Boston, and al- 
ways taking out his own demands from the proceeds, and 
liquidating the amounts in his own way. Many a poor 
man had to work a week for him, to pay for the annual 
loss of blood in himself and family ; and when any con- 
siderable sickness occurred, a sloop's hold, full of wood 
went to pay the doctor's bill. As his wealth increased, all 
restraint was thrown off, and his vices appeared without a 
blush. He was very profane, grew intemperate, and 
though an eloquent preacher, gradually lost all influence 
as a minister. But this gave him little, or no concern • 



* Amer. Quart. Register, vol. XIII, p. 164, 
Vol. XX. No. 79. 68 



16 Tlie German Colony, 

for when remonstrated with, by his people, for his improp- 
er behaviour, he was accustomed to excuse himself hy 
saying: "When I have my plack coat on, den I am a min- 
ister, and you must do as I say^ but when I have my green 
coat on, den I am a toctor, and I can do as I please."* 

Thus, did this wolf in sheep's clothing continue to 
fleece, with impunity, his defenceless flock. "But the 
triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the 
hypocrite but for a moment." And it may be mentioned, 
as a striking instance of retributive justice, that while re- 
siding in the neighboring town of Warren, to which he 
removed in after years, and where he continued his medi- 
cal practice, and in addition, took out a license to retail 
spirituous liquors, for which he himself was the best cus- 
tomer. His house, during his temporary absence in Bos- 
ton, was entered in the dead of night, by four men in dis- 
guise, who seized the women, the only inmates, pinioned 
their arms, confined them in the cellar, broke open the 
chests and closets, containing his hoards of silver and gold, 
and stripped him of all his ill-gotten gains. Every at- 
tempt to discover the burglars, or to recover the stolen 
treasure, was unavailing ; and the miserable wretch, in 
rage and despair, plunging still deeper into intemperance, 
died as the fool dieth, and "made no Bign."f 

It is said this miserable man was pastor of the church 
for nearly twenty years ; but it is hardly credible, that the 
great body of the congregation, should have endured his 
ministrations so long, and it is more than probable, that 
the number of his adherents was but few. Indeed, it is 
matter of record, that in 1767, the Rev. Mr Cill}^, a pious 
Moravian clergyman, came from Germany to Broad Bay, 
Avho, being a more spiritual-minded man, and exemplify- 
ing in his life and conduct the reality of the doctrine he 
preached, drew away and converted to the Moravian faith 
many of the settlers, who, in 1770, removed with him to 
Carolina, and joined a similar society there.| And we 
have positive testimony, that the church was without a 
pastor in 1774. 

Among the old documents at Ilartwick Seminary, there 
is a call, dated May 28th, 1774, addressed to the Rev. 

* Eaton's Anuals of Warren, p. 116 — IT. 

t April 20th, 1794. 

X Eaton's Annals of Warren, p. 134. 



and Lutheran Church in Maine. 17 

John Christopher Hartwick, p-o tern, pastor of the ohurch 
at Boston, and superintendent of sundry Evangelical con- 
gregations, scattered up and down in America ;" which de- 
scribes the church at Waldoborough, as being "like sheep 
without a shepherd, destitute of the ministry of the Gos- 
pel, and scattered, and feinting for want of spiritual pas- 
ture, to the great detriment of its spiritual state." It 
moreover informed him, that he had been unanimously 
elected pastor, and earnestly entreated him to become their 
spiritual guide. Nay, so anxious were the people to se- 
cure the services of a pastor, that they furthermore em- 
powered Hartwic;k, in the event of his being unable to ac- 
cept their call, to select any person whom he should deem 
suitable for the position, and unanimously agreed to abide 
by his decision. In compliance with this call, it is known 
that Hartwick visited Waldoborough, and performed min- 
isterial duties there in July 1774, but whether he remain- 
ed with tliem for any length of time, is extremely doubtful, 
as he was proverbially fond of change. At any rate, there 
is no further record of his ministry. 

The next we hear of the congregation, is in 1785, when 
a Mr. Croner appears to have been its pastor. But during 
his ministry, which continued four years, no progress was 
made in the life of godliness, and nothing accomplished for 
the Redeemer's kingdom ; for, according to the record, 
"he was an evil example to his flock, a reproach to the 
ministry, and an injury to souls."* Whether this Croner 
was ever regularly inducted into the ministry, is extremely 
problematical ; and from all accounts he appears to have 
been one of that class of im posters, with which our Church 
has been so much cursed in the past, and from which every 
lover of our Zion ought earnestly to pray, that she may 
be delivered in the future. 

But Providence had better things in store for this long 
suffering, and oft deceived people. Taught by bitter ex- 
perience, not to trust in every adventurer, who represent- 
ed himself to be a Lutheran minister, they sought advice 
from the Synod of Pennsylvania, and thereby obtained the 
services of a pastor, who more than compensated them for 
all the disappointments of the past. For the Rev. Augus- 
tus Ferdinand B,\t^, "Who, upon the recommendation of that 
Synod, was called in 1795, was not only a man of piety 

* Araer. Quart. Register, vol. XllI, p. 164. 



18 TUe Oerrnan Cohny, 

and learning, but, unlike bis predecessors, bad tbe interest 
of tbe Redeemer's kingdom mucb at heart, and was deeply 
imbued with the love of souls. He was a native of Ger- 
many, and educated at the University of Ilelmstadt ; bad 
been in this country about a year, during which, be was 
pastor of four small congregations, within the bounds of 
the Pennsylvania Synod, of which he was a member; and 
now undertook to serve the church at Waldoborough, for 
the annual salary of two hundred and twenty dollars, and 
the use of a hundred acres of land. Like his predecessors, 
he preached in the German language exclusively, and 
when first called upon by the neighboring clergy, being 
unacquainted with the English, was able to converse with 
them only in Latin ; though afterwards, as he became bet- 
ter acquainted with this country, and its institutions, he 
was one of the few German ministers, who had the good 
sense to advise his parishioners to abandon their German 
schools, and give their children an English education ; and 
had his sensible advice been followed, we should not have 
been obliged to record, to night, the decline and final ex- 
tinction of the Lutheran Church in Maine. It is said, by 
his cotemporaries, that Mr. Rity was remarkably sedate in 
his deportment, and rarely indulged in anything that would 
excite a smile ; and that the nearest approach to levity he 
ever exhibited, was in the case of Mr. Demutb, one of his 
parishioners. This man had in some way taken oft'enceat 
his pastor, (a common occurrence in ministerial experience,) 
and refused to speak to him. Mr. Rity, in company with 
a friend, passing him one day, in the usual manner, with- 
out receiving a nod, the friend observed : "There goes Mr. 
Demutb." "Nein, Nein," said the minister, nicht Meister 
Z^emuth, Meister HochmuiW^ But this was an excep- 
.tion, for otherwise he was 

"Aifectionate in look 
And tender in address, as well became 
A messenger of grace to guilty men — " 

"Much impress'd 
Himself, as conscious of his awful charge, 
And mainly anxious that the flock he fed 
Should feel it too." 

And mucb did he need these gifts and graces, for he had 
* Eaton'a Annals of Warren, p.' 271. 



mul Lutlheran Church in Mame. 19 

iKird work to perform, many thorns and briers to remove, 
and a field to cultivate, Avhich had long lain waste, and 
brought forth no fruit unto righteousness. But he was 
fully qualified for the task, and he labored not alone, for 
God was with him, and gave him many souls for his hire, 
and as his crown of rejoicing. He was only too soon re- 
moved from the toils of his spiritual husbandry on earth, 
to reap the glorious rewards of the heavenly harvest home. 
For he suddenly expired, after a sixteen years' ministry, 
in 1811 ; and devout men, with saddened hearts, carried 
him to his burial, universally lamented by all who knew 
him, both Americans and Germans, leaving behind a repu- 
tation, as his biographer quaintly remarks: "Like an ar- 
ray of gems which never fade." 

And, now, the widowed church was again without a 
pastor, but she did not sit long overwhelmed with grief, be- 
moaning her desolate condition ; for God heard her cry, and 
sent her in the autumn of 1812, and in the person of the 
Eev. John William Starman, a teacher to go before her, 
as a pillar of cloud and of fire, to direct her by day and by 
night. The aged German Christians of Waldoborough, 
hailed his coming with delight, and wept for joy, that 
once more before their death, they could sit and listen in 
their own language, to the words of heavenly wisdom, to 
edify their minds, and kindle into new life their religious 
zeal. I said, the aged German Christians ; for, alas, the 
younger members of their families, for want of English 
preaching, had generally joined the Congregational church, 
which had been gathered by the new comers in 1807, un- 
der the ministry of the Eev. John R. Cutting. But the 
old settlers, and some few of their immediate descendants, 
were a staid generation, not excitable, or effected by what 
they denominated newdighu doctrine and preaching, and 
imagined that they could not understand the preaching of 
the Gospel in any other than che German language. Hence, 
they insisted on the suicidal policy, to have all the services 
of the church exclusively in German, making no provision 
for the firstlings of the flock, who, by association with their 
English-speaking neighbors, had gradually lost the know- 
ledge of their mother tongue ; and who, by this policy, 
were constrained, if they desired spiritual food, to leave 
the ancient fold, and feed in other pastures. Under these 
circumstances, it was impossible to infuse a younger and 
more vigorous element into the slumbering and dying 



20 TJte Oerman Colony^ 

energies of the Church ; and Mr. Starman was destined to 
labor comparatively in vuin, and to spend his strength for 
naught. 

But one thing he was enabled to do. From the first or- 
ganization of the church, the Lutherans and German Re- 
formed, who composed it, were accustomed to have the 
Lord's Supper administered to them separately. Though 
this did not accord with his views of Christian communion, 
he nevertheless continued the custom, for the sake of peace 
and harmony ; always, however, giving a pressing invita- 
tion to the different parties to discard their prejiidices, and 
lovingly to unite in partaking of the sacred feast. At 
first, few complied with the invitation, but the number 
gradually increased, until on the 17th of June, 1829, the 
separating wall was entirely taken away. At a meeting of 
"the church members, held at that period, it was unani- 
mously resolved, that the different parties would hereafter 
commune together, according to a prescribed form ; and 
from that time forward, both classes approached the Lord's 
table together, as one undivided family, in the unity of the 
Spirit, and in the bonds of peace. 

A citizen of Waldoborough describes one of these joy- 
ful occasions, which must have been peculiarly interesting 
and impressive. He speaks of the "tottering monuments 
of the early days, of the first settlers of Broad Bay," sur- 
rounding the sacramental board — of Conrad Heyer, who 
for more than seventy years, occupied a conspicuous seat 
in the singing gallery, both in the old log meeting house, 
at the Cove, and then at the church now dilapidated and 
in ruins, about three quarters of a mile from the village,"* 
— but he says nothing of those, who in the bud and blos- 
som of their years, had consecrated themselves to the ser- 
vice of the Master — for alas, they were not there with 
their parents, to eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 
And how can a church flourish, when the natural sources 
of its increase and vitality are cut off? For though the 
pastor had now, for some time, been permitted to preach 
occasionally in English, yet from his imperfect knowledge 
of the language, the want of fluency in the delivery of his 
sermons, or some other cause, he failed to attract the 
young, though they universally respected him, or to bring 
any of the wanderers back again into the ancient fold. 

*Muiae His. Soc. Collec, vol. V. p. 409. 



and LutJieran Church in Maine. 21 

The Rev. Mr. Starman, was a man of faith, and a man of 
prayer, but he could not work miracles ; and little short 
of a miracle could save the decaying church at Waldo- 
borough, from the dissolution which awaited it. 

My first acquaintance with this man of God, was at the 
Synod of our Ministerium, in August, 1823. He was then 
upwards of fifty years of age, unmarried, and so bashful 
and diffident, that he avoided rather than sought the so- 
ciety of the gentler sex ; and probably he would have gone 
through life, wanting that blessing of the Lord, a good 
wife, but for the intervention of his congregation ; who, 
believing that it was not good for him to be alone, and that 
his efficiency as a pastor would be increased, by his hav- 
ing a helpmeet from among the daughters of the land, took 
the matter into their own hands so completely, as not only 
to designate who should be his bride, but also, to negoti- 
ate with her family and herself, as to the terms and con- 
ditions of the marriage.* And though "matrimony is a 
matter of more worth than to be dealt in by attorneyship," he 
cheerfully acquiesed in the arrangement, and in due time, 
the parties, to their mutual satisfaction, were firmly united 
in the silken tie. 

This, no doubt, contributed greatly to his usefulness at 
the time, and, as I can testify from personal observation, 
was a source of comfort and happiness to him, in his de- 
clining years. And much did he need careful nursing and 
kind attention in his old age. For I found him a perfect 
wreck of his former self, afflicted with erysipelas, almost 
blind, and nearly helpless ; yet, the same simple-hearted, 
prayerful, God-fearing, and God-loving man as ever. Never 
shall I forget the gleam of joy, which illumined his aged 
countenance, as I alighted from the stage coach, and en- 
tered his humble dwelling. His troubles now seemed to 
be over, the desire of his heart to be gratified. His peo- 
ple were once more to be gathered in the old church, and 
to hear the Gospel from the lips of a Lutheran minister. 
Immediate arrangements were made for religious services, 
on every day of the limited period of my visit. On Fri- 
day evening I preached in a neighboring school house ; 
and such an audience of aged men and women, my eyes 
had never before beheld. At the close of the services, 
which were listened to with rapt attention, they clus- 

* Maine His. Soc. Collec, vol. V. p. 409. 



22 The Gtirnan Colony^ 

tcred round mC) and had I been the President of the Uni- 
ted States, I could not have received a more hearty greet- 
ing, while they hailed with joy the proposition I made, 
in behalf of the Ministerium, that we would send them a 
minister, provided they would aid in his support, by the 
contribution of one hundred and fifty dollars annually. 
On the following afternoon I addressed the congregation 
ao-ain, at the house of Conrad Heyer, the firstborn among 
the settlers at Broad Bay, who, although one hundred and 
one years old, was as brisk and active as a man of fifty 
and who, according to his wont, for more than eighty 
years, acted as chorister, and led us in a hymn of praise 
reading without spectacles the small print of Watts' duo 
decimo Hymn Book, and singing even the highest notes 
with scarcely any of the tremulousness of age. But Sun 
day was the great day of the feast ; for all the settlers 
far and near, to the third and fourth generations, crowded 
to the dilapidated church, on foot, and in all kinds of an- 
cient vehicles. The aged pastor was there wrapped in 
flannels, having been carefully conveyed thither by one of 
his attentive deacons — the little remnant of his flock was 
there, ancient men and women not a few, having for the 
most part passed three score years and ten, fondly recall- 
ing the days of their youth, when they kept holy day to- 
gether, and had gone to the house of God in company. 
After two services in the old church, and a third, in the 
Baptist meeting house in the village, the congregation was 
dismissed to meet on Monday afternoon, to listen to anoth- 
er sermon, and learn the result of the effort which was 
being made to comply with my proposition, and secure 
the services of a minister. At that meeting it was an- 
nounced, that the committee appointed for that purpose, 
after the most strenuous efforts, had been able to secure 
only between fifty and sixty dollars; and the amount of a 
collection taken on the spot, for my expenses, which they 
insisted on defraying, was only one dollar and thirty-one 
cents. It was not, that they did not desire the services of a 
Gospel minister. It was not because they were penurious ; 
for I doubt not, that each one subscribed to the full extent 
of his ability. But it was because, for the most part, they 
were almost entirely destitute of the means of comfortable 
living, and had absolutely nothing to spare from their 
scanty earnings. 

Under these circumstances, as the feeble few were una- 



and Lutheran Church in Maine. 23 

l)le to supply even the necessary clothing for a pastor, and 
as there was no material in the settlement which might be 
counted on for the resuscitation and growth of the congre- 
gation, they came to the unanimous conclusion to disband 
their organization, and seek a spiritual home in the neigh- 
boring Congregational Church, where since the disability 
of their pastor they had been fed, and in whose commu- 
nion many of their children were already numbered. 
Though with great reluctance, I could not but acquiesce 
in their decision ; and commending them to God and to 
the word of his grace, the parting prayer was offered, the 
farewell hymn sung, and we separated, to meet no more, 
until assembled 

^ "Where congregations ne'er break up 

And Sabbaths ne'er shall end !" 

Nearly twenty years have elapsed since that memorable 
visit, and time has wrought its usual changes. That aged 
pastor, who died in 1854, in his eighty-second year, and 
that ancient band of pilgrims, who clung to him to the 
last, have all gone to join the general assembly and church 
of the first born, whose names are written in heaven. The 
afflicted minister's agonizing prayers for his people are 
turned into joyful songs of praise for their deliverance 
from these earthly tabernacles, and their exaltation to the 
city which hath foundations, and the house not made with 
hands — Old Conrad Heyer, clothed in immortal youth, is 
singing the song of Moses and the Lamb — and nothing re- 
mains on earth to mark the place of their sojourn, and the 
Church of our fathers in the State of Maine, but the dilap- 
idated ruins of the house, in which they once worshipped 
God — and the tall marble column in the neighboring grave- 
yard, erected by the noble liberality of the citizens of 
Waldoborough, which tells the passing traveller, that 
Here lie the remains of the sainted Rity and Starman, the 
once able and efficient pastors of the German Lutheran 
Church of Broad Bay I 

Gentlemen and Brethren of the Historical Society ! 
This painful history, will not have been presented to you 
in vain, if we will only learn the important lessons which 
it teaches : How utterly futile is the attempt to build 
up a little Germany in America. 

How surely an isolated church, using exclusively the 
German language, surrounded by an English speaking 



24: T^ie German Colony. 

population, and receiving no accessions from the Father- 
land, must die out in the course of three or four genera- 
tions. And above all 

How absolute is the necessity of a perfect union and 
communion of the German and English element, in our 
ecclesiastical councils, if we would attain to that position 
in this land, which of right to us belongs as the first pure 
Protestant Church of the Reformation. For this union I 
have always contended. This has been one of the objects of 
my life and labors. This should be the burden of our prayers, 
before the throne of heavenly grace. And though late de- 
velopments in our beloved Zion, may seem to have defer- 
red this desirable event, it will come. It rmist come, or 
the Lutheran Church in the United States will be nun> 
bered, like the Church in the State of Maine, among "til 
things that were." 



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